Healthcare in Costa Rica for tourists and visitors

Costa Rica runs a universal public system, the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS or simply "la Caja"), with clinics (EBAIS) in every district and large public hospitals in San José such as Hospital México, San Juan de Dios and Calderón Guardia. It is good, and in a true emergency it will treat anyone — but waits are long, English is not guaranteed, and as a non-resident you will be billed.

Alongside it there is a well-developed private sector. Private hospitals in the San José metropolitan area are accredited, have 24-hour emergency departments, intensive care, imaging and surgery, and most of their physicians trained abroad or at the University of Costa Rica. This is where international insurers send their members and where most visitors end up.

Yes — by most measures. Life expectancy is above that of the United States, the country has a long tradition of medical education, and San José is a regional hub for specialized care. The practical question for a visitor is not quality but navigation: which hospital, which doctor, how to get there from a beach town, and how to make your insurance work in real time.

That navigation is exactly what Relevium does. An Emergency Medicine specialist takes the first message, decides the level of care, directs you to the right hospital and stays on the case as the physician of record until you go home.

No. Public emergency care will not be refused, but non-residents are charged for it, and the process for a foreigner is slow. Private care is paid either by the patient or, more commonly, by a travel or health insurer through a guarantee of payment.

Typical private costs in San José, as orientation only: an emergency-room consultation with a specialist in the range of US$100–250; imaging and laboratory work on top; a hospital day from several hundred to over a thousand dollars depending on the level of care. Surgery is quoted case by case. We give a written estimate before any non-urgent step.

In the private hospitals of San José, English is common among physicians and administrative staff; in coastal clinics it is less predictable. Relevium manages every case in English from the first message to the final report, and in Spanish or Portuguese when the family prefers.

If someone is unconscious, not breathing or bleeding heavily: call 911 first, then message us. For anything urgent but not life-threatening — high fever, a fall, a bad stomach infection, chest discomfort, a wound that needs stitches — message the 24/7 line directly. A physician answers, asks the right questions and tells you where to go.

• Keep your passport, insurance card and the assistance-line number together.
• Photograph any medication you take and any allergy card.
• If you are insured, message us before you pay anything: the guarantee of payment starts with the first contact.